Red Raiders chop Tomahawks
By Sean Sweeney
Correspondent
FITCHBURG --

It was touch-and-go for just over a half of football but
just before the Fitchburg High School band broke into an
extremely fast version of "The Purple People Eater,"
Fitchburg's offense exploded for three fourth quarter
touchdowns to blow its game with Algonquin Regional of
Northboro way out of proportion, scalping the Tomahawks 48-22
Friday night in Fitchburg's last game of the millennium at
Crocker Field.

With the score tied, 16-16 at the intermission, Fitchburg
(5-4) went to work with Norman Cold (150 yards on 20
carries, two touchdowns in the first half) taking the first
four carries of the second half and earning two first downs
for his efforts.  Several plays later, short runs by Jason
Quinn and a 15-yard carry be Cole set up first and 10 at the
Algonquin 17 yard line.

"They both just found the holes," said Fitchburg coach Ray
Cosenza. "But our offensive line did a great job of opening
those holes.  We had to run down the clock, because we faced
a great passing team tonight."

Three plays later, FHS quarterback Jason Twomely made it to
the goal line and fumbled the football, only to have Jim
Alexander recover the ball in the back of the end zone.
Cole added the conversion run to give Fitchburg a 24-16
lead.

Algonquin answered on its next series, as the state's number
one quarterback, Marc Eddy, moved his team down the field
though the air.  Eddy (21 - 36 for 279 yards, three
touchdowns, and two interceptions) started with a 33 yard
completion to the state's number one rreceiver, Dallas Mall,
before connecting with Casey Lockwood two plays later for a
gain of five yards.

Two plays later, Eddy fired a 14 yard strike to Mall on a
swing pass before Lockwood carried for a yard on a sweep to
the right side.  That set up second and nine from the Red
Raider 10, with Eddy using a two step drop before pump
faking.  He then hit Mall between the numbers in the end
zone for the junior quarterback's 50th career touchdown
pass.  The conversion pass failed to make it 24-22 FHS.

On the ensing kickoff, Harld Mateo retuned the ball 43 yards
to the Tomahawk 46 yard line before Twomley gave the ball to
Quinn.  On the third play of the drive, Twomley handed off
to his fellow senior, who immediately attempted to throw his
second halfback option pass (his first sailed through the
hands of a wide open Tim Keenan) but instead cut to his left
out to the sideline.  When it looked like he wasn't going to
get far, Twomely stepped in and laid out a Tomahawk
defensive back with a tremendous block.  Quinn (145 yards on
22 carries) picked up an additional seven yards on the
play for a total of 12.

"That was just a heads-up play by Jason," added Cosenza.
"He carried the fake out, and Quinn saw the play open up."

After a 5 yard carry by Cole, Twomley called his own number
three times on quarterback keepers to move the ball to the 4
yard line.  Quinn punched it in from four yards out on the
first play of the fourth quarter to put the Raiders up 32-22.

On Algonquin's next drive, Eddy completed passes of 34 and
18 yards to Dan Andes before getting picked off by Saul
Sicard at the 9 yard line.  After a 7 yard run by Coe, it
was Quinn, Quinn, Quinn,.  Five straight carries by Quinn
netted 64 yards and brought the Red Raiders offense down to
the Tomahawk 11 yard line before Twomley faked every one
out.  Instead of handing off to Quinn, he gave the ball to
Sicard on a dive for an 11 yard touchdown scamper to put
the game out of range.

Algonquin's next drive was exactly like the first one, this
time Quinn picking the pass off after the ball was tipped by
Alexander.  After a pair of long gains by Quinn, Twomley
handed off to Sicard for another touchdown, this one from
two yards out.  Sicard added the conversion to make it
48-22.

Fitchburg has a great game next Saturday afternoon, as the
Red and Gray will tune up for Leominster with a road date
against Westboro.

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